Fix the Lawrence Fountain NOW!

Lawrence Fountain at South Union, Exeter and Winthrop Avenue

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL

September, 2006

For years the people of Lawrence and visitors to the city have enjoyed the majesty of a giant fountain at the corner of South Union St. and Winthrop Avenue. And for years the DPW has neglected to adequately fix up that fountain when it fell into disrepair.

Now DPW Director Frank McCann and City Councilor Marie Gosselin have cooked up a scheme to get grant money by proposing to demolish the fountain (dedicated to Vietnam veterans), build a park and erect a much smaller fountain.

This from the same councilor and DPW director who rejected tearing down the Veterans Memorial Stadium for a smaller steel structure because, they said, the stadium was a monument to the veterans.

We see no difference.

This fountain is also located at an intersection that Police Chief John Romero calls the “most dangerous intersection in the city.” So dangerous, in fact, that Romero is putting up video cameras there. Attracting children and families to a lot of land that is located inches from the highest number of car accidents and auto fatalities is not only dangerous and unwise, it leaves the city libel.

We find it inexplainable that the DPW cannot adequately fix a fountain, but is pledging to build a park to maintain instead.

We say, fix the fountain, make whatever upgrades are needed and save the taxpayers a million or more dollars by treating it with the same respect that we demanded for the Veterans Memorial Stadium.